Report: Insurance Rate Hike Requests Drop As A Result Of Govt. Scrutiny

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, requests by health insurers for double-digit rate increases dropped. The report credits the health law with this development.

The Washington Post: Big Health Insurance Rate Hikes Are Plummeting
The number of double-digit rate increases requested by health insurers has plummeted over the past four years, according to a Friday report from the Obama administration (Kliff, 2/23).

Bloomberg: Health Premium Increases Damped By Greater U.S. Scrutiny
The number of requests by health insurers for double-digit rate increases fell about 41 percentage points since the end of 2009, according to a U.S. report that cited the success of the health-care overhaul. The data today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed one-third of requests last year asked states to approve premium increases of more than 10 percent. In 2010, three-quarters of petitions sought double-digit jumps, according to the report, which compared 15 states in 2012 with 11 in 2010 (Wayne, 2/22).

In other insurance coverage news --

The Hill: Employer-Based Health Coverage Hits New Low
The number of people getting health care through an employer is at its lowest point since President Obama took office, according to new Gallup data. Republicans consistently argue that President Obama's health care law will erode employer-based coverage. And the latest Gallup figures show that while the economy has steadily added jobs over the past year, that trend hasn't come with rising levels of employer-based health care (Baker, 2/22).

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.